Oral contraceptives and the dexamethasone suppression test

Adrenal Cortex Hormones--analysis; Belgium; Biology; Contraception; Contraceptive Methods; Developed Countries; Dexamethasone Acetate; Endocrine System; Europe; Examinations And Diagnoses; Family Planning; Hormones; Laboratory Examinations And Diagnoses; Laboratory Procedures; Oral Contraceptives; Physiology; Western Europe; Adult; Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal; Depressive Disorder; Dexamethasone; Female; Human; Hydrocortisone

Abstract :

[en] Among other confounding factors, the influence of the intake of estrogen-containing oral contraceptives on the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) results has never been specifically studied. Therefore, we performed 1 mg DST's in 14 healthy women taking oral contraceptives and 14 age-matched women taking no oral contraceptives. Mean 0800h basal total cortisol was significantly higher among the women taking contraceptives than in the control group, whereas mean free cortisol did not significantly differ. At 1600h following DST, no significant difference existed between the two groups. Two subjects taking contraceptives and one control subject were considered DST nonsuppressors. These results confirm the powerful influence of oral contraceptives on basal total cortisol levels but suggest a lack of significant influence on DST results. © 1993.

Disciplines :

Treatment & clinical psychology

Author, co-author :

ANSSEAU, Marc ; Université de Liège - ULg

Leboulle, D.; Psychiatric Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium

Sulon, J.; Department of Medical Chemistry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium

von Frenckell, Rémy ; Psychiatric Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium

Legros, Jean-Jacques ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques > Département des sciences cliniques

Language :

English

Title :

Oral contraceptives and the dexamethasone suppression test

Publication date :

1993

Journal title :

Psychoneuroendocrinology

ISSN :

0306-4530

eISSN :

1873-3360

Publisher :

Elsevier, United Kingdom

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

37-43

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 12 June 2021

Statistics

Number of views

83 (1 by ULiège)

Number of downloads

179 (1 by ULiège)

More statistics

Scopus citations^®

Scopus citations^®
without self-citations

OpenCitations

OpenAlex citations

Bibliography

Amsterdam, Winokur, Caroff, Conn (1982) The Dexamethasone Suppression Test in outpatients with primary affective disorders and healthy control subjects. Am J Psychiatry 139:287-291.
Ansseau, Sulon, Doumont, Cerfontaine, Legros, Sodoyez, Demey-Ponsart (1984) Use of saliva cortisol in the Dexamethasone Suppression Test. Psychiatry Res 13:203-211.
Arana, Baldessarini, Ornsteen (1985) The Dexamethasone Suppression Test for diagnosis and prognosis in psychiatry. Arch Gen Psychiatry 42:1193-1204.
Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, Erbaugh (1961) An Inventory for Measuring Depression. Archives of General Psychiatry 4:53-63.
Braddock (1986) The Dexamethasone Suppression Test: Fact and artefact. Br J Psychiatry 148:363-374.
Carroll (1982) The dexamethasone suppression test for melancholia. Br J Psychiatry 140:292-304.
Carroll, Feinberg, Greden, Tarika, Albala, Haskett, James, Kronfol, Lohr, Steiner, De Vigne, Young (1981) A specific laboratory test for the diagnosis of melancholia: Standardization, validation and clinical utility. Arch Gen Psychiatry 38:15-22.
Charles, Ansseau, Sulon, Demey-Ponsart, Meunier, Wilmotte, Legros (1986) Free cortisol and the Dexamethasone Suppression Test. Biol Psychiatry 21:549-552.
Charles, Vandewalle, Meunier, Wilmotte, Noel, Fossoul, Mardens, Mendlewicz (1981) Plasma and urinary cortisol levels after dexamethasone in affective disorders. J Affect Disord 3:397-406.
Copolov, Rubin, Mander, Sashidharan, Whitehouse, Blackburn, Freeman, Blackwood, Lane, Poland (1985) Pre- and post dexamethasone salivary cortisol concentrations in major depression. Psychoneuroendocrinology 10:461-467.
Coppen, Abou-Saleh, Mill, Metcalfe, Harwood, Bailey (1983) Dexamethasone Suppression Test in depression and other psychiatric illness. Br J Psychiatry 142:498-504.
Demey-Ponsart, Foidart, Hendrickx, Sodoyez (1977) Effect of serum dilution on binding of cortisol to thermolabile and thermostable serum proteins. J Ster Biochem 8:1091-1095.
D'Haenen, de Weert, Ansseau (1987) Lack of effects of hospitalization and oral contraceptives on DST results in control subjects. Biol Psychiatry 22:1499-1502.
Hällström, Samuelsson, Balladin, Wälinder, Bengtsson, Myström, Andersch, Lindstedt, Lundberg (1983) Abnormal dexamethasone suppression test in normal females. The British Journal of Psychiatry 142:489-497.
Hammond (1990) Molecular properties of corticosteroid binding globulin and the sex-steroid binding proteins. Endocr Rev 11:65-79.
Holsboer, Doerr, Gerken, Müller, Sippell (1984) Cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, and ACTH concentrations after dexamethasone in depressed patients and healthy volunteers. Psychiatry Res 11:15-23.
Krieger, Allen (1975) Relationship of bioassayable and immunoassayable plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations in normal subjects and in patients with Cushing's disease. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 40:675-687.
Krieger, Aschoff (1979) Endocrine and other biological rhythms. Endocrinology , LJ DeGroot, Grune & Stratton, New York; 2:2079-2099.
Liddle (1960) Test of pituitary-adrenal suppressibility in diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome. J Clin Endocr 20:1539-1560.
Pfohl, Sherman, Schlechte, Winokur (1985) Differences in plasma ACTH and cortisol between depressed patients and normal controls. Biol Psychiatry 20:1055-1072.
Poland, Rubin (1982) Saliva cortisol levels following dexamethasone administration in endogenously depressed patients. Life Sci 30:177-181.
Rosner (1990) The functions of corticosteroid-binding globulin and sex hormone-binding globulin: Recent advances. Endocr Rev 11:80-91.
Rush, Schlesser, Giles, Crowley, Fairchild, Altschuler (1982) The effect of dosage on the Dexamethasone Suppression Test in normal controls. Psychiatry Res 7:277-285.
Saito, Ichikawa, Mitsuo (1979) Direct inhibitory effect of dexamethasone on steroidogenesis of human adrenal in vivo. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 48:861-863.
Sandberg, Woodruff, Rosenthal, Nienhouse, Slaunwhite (1964) Transcortin: A corticosteroid-binding globulin of plasma. VII. Half-life in normal and oestrogen treated subjects. J Clin Invest 43:461-464.
Stahl, Dörner (1982) Responses of salivary cortisol levels to stress-situations. Endokrinologie 80:158-162.
Stokes, Stoll, Koslow, Maas, Davis, Swann, Robins (1983) Pretreatment DST and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical function in depressed patients and comparison groups. Arch Gen Psychiatry 40:1034-1035.
Sulon, Demey-Ponsart, Bauduin, Sodoyez (1978) Radioimmunoassay of corticosterone, cortisone and cortisol: Their application to human cord and maternal plasma. J Ster Biochem 9:671-676.